In this paper, the focus is on relationship management and its implications for Small‐Medium Enterprise suppliers (SMEs). Specific insights are provided into retailer‐supplier relationships in the UK fresh produce (fruit and vegetable) market. This sector faces a process of concentration in...

Traditionally, research into supply chain management has focused on increasing the availability of products and reducing the cost of doing so by concentrating on coordination between supply chain members. Significant improvements have been made in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of...

Since the end of the 1980s, logistics in French mass distribution has undergone a progressive vertical disintegration, with contractors taking a greater role in physical distribution. While food retailers state in the professional press that this disintegration has the inevitable consequence of...

In today's competitive environment, markets are becoming more international, dynamic, and customer‐driven. Customers are demanding more variety, better quality and service, including both reliability and faster delivery. Technological developments are occurring at a faster pace, resulting in...

The emergence of the network organization is a phenomenon that has given rise to much comment and analysis. These virtual organizations are characterized by a confederation of specialist skills or capabilities provided by the network members. It is argued that in turbulent environments such...

Streamlining the supplier base is a common approach in many US and UK manufacturing companies. However, is this approach being adopted in Germany as fast as it has in the UK? This paper describes research that answers this question and investigates how German companies are managing contacts with...

In the age of globalization, seaports play a vital role in connecting national supply chains to the global marketplace. Improving port operations has become a priority for many countries. One of the ways to achieve this objective is process reengineering. This paper reviews the IT‐enabled...

Most discussions and articles about supply chain metrics are, in actuality, about internal logistics performance measures. The lack of a widely accepted definition for supply chain management and the complexity associated with overlapping supply chains make the development of supply chain...

Imagine the reaction of your company's sales force when you tell them they are losing money selling to Wal‐Mart. To counter their objections, you explain the final delivered product cost exceeds the revenue generated by Wal‐Mart sales. The scenario may seem unrealistic based on the sales...